Bilingual lexical retrieval requires the ability to access, select, and produce words from the appropriate language according to the context or task requirements. One particular measure used to test the efficiency of word retrieval is the verbal fluency task. Research comparing monolingual with bilingual verbal fluency has primarily focused on heritage bilinguals and has resulted in mixed findings (Friesen et al. 2015; Gollan et al. 2002; Luo et al. 2010; Rosselli et al. 2000; Sandoval et al. 2010). Relatively little work has been done examining the verbal fluency of second language (L2) learners (Baus et al. 2013; Linck et al. 2009; Van Assche et al. 2013), especially relative to monolinguals (Ljungberg et al. 2013). This dissertation investigates the impact of L2 proficiency on learners’ ability to retrieve words in their first language (L1). To that end, 122 English monolingual and English-Spanish L2 learner/bilingual participants completed verbal fluency tasks. Analysis of their English performance reports word totals as well as word frequency, retrieval latencies, and the time-course of retrieval. Results suggest that highly proficient L2 bilinguals have an L1 retrieval advantage in task efficiency, specifically the ability to retrieve more words than monolinguals but with similar spread of production over time. This study is significant in its addition to our knowledge of how L2 study impacts the L1 lexical retrieval process.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Spanish
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Second language acquisition
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Lexical grammar
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_8271
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (xi, 184 p. : ill.)
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Lake L. Mathison
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
School of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10001600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.